Theodore
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek]; the name of a saint, pope, several emperors, etc. Learned borrowing from Latin Theodōrus, borrowed from Ancient Greek Θεόδωρος (Theódōros), from θεός (theós, “god”) + δῶρον (dôron, “gift”). The name was popularized in reference to the prominent St Theodore of Amasea. Unrelated to Theodoric.
Source: Wiktionary, English entry for Theodore (CC BY-SA 4.0). This is the origin of the name in English; families in Sweden may have taken it from another language.
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Theodore has been fairly steady over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 2020. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1998 | – |
| 1999 | – |
| 2000 | – |
| 2001 | 10 |
| 2002 | – |
| 2003 | 23 |
| 2004 | 14 |
| 2005 | 16 |
| 2006 | 22 |
| 2007 | 32 |
| 2008 | 34 |
| 2009 | 51 |
| 2010 | 55 |
| 2011 | 37 |
| 2012 | 42 |
| 2013 | 68 |
| 2014 | 86 |
| 2015 | 82 |
| 2016 | 82 |
| 2017 | 89 |
| 2018 | 84 |
| 2019 | 83 |
| 2020 | 101 |
| 2021 | 76 |
| 2022 | 85 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Men and boys |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 69 |
| 2000 | 73 |
| 2001 | 86 |
| 2002 | 89 |
| 2003 | 111 |
| 2004 | 127 |
| 2005 | 141 |
| 2006 | 162 |
| 2007 | 192 |
| 2008 | 227 |
| 2009 | 286 |
| 2010 | 342 |
| 2011 | 380 |
| 2012 | 420 |
| 2013 | 480 |
| 2014 | 573 |
| 2015 | 660 |
| 2016 | 747 |
| 2017 | 838 |
| 2018 | 937 |
| 2019 | 1,017 |
| 2020 | 1,123 |
Theodore in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Theodore.Hi! My name is Theodore.
- Theodore bor i Umeå och jobbar som snickare.Theodore lives in Umeå and works as a carpenter.
- Theodore har bott i Uppsala i tre år.Theodore has lived in Uppsala for three years.
- Theodores mamma är lärare.Theodore's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Theodores mamma is Theodore's mum.
Related names and other spellings
More names
Questions about Theodore
How do you pronounce Theodore in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Theodore in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Theodore mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek]; the name of a saint, pope, several emperors, etc. Learned borrowing from Latin Theodōrus, borrowed from Ancient Greek Θεόδωρος (Theódōros), from θεός (theós, “god”) + δῶρον (dôron, “gift”). The name was popularized in reference to the prominent St Theodore of Amasea. Unrelated to Theodoric.
How popular is Theodore in Sweden?
85 babies were named Theodore in 2022. In 2020, 1,123 people in Sweden had Theodore as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been fairly steady lately and peaked in 2020 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.